[Fanfiction Countryhumans x OC] Let the flame paint your soul

Chapter 1: The pianist

As the wind began to blow, the clouds began to slip away leaving the corridor painted with moonlight, the girl, who dressed in nightglow silently moved. She was only about thirteen years old, thin and pale. Her black hair looked a little bit messy, slightly curly and without her dark eyes wandered around the building and pure sorrow-filled in those eyes, the autumn night would not be stunning as it had to be.

She reached a musical room of the Flora orphanage, in the corridor that she left behind, there was children's laughter echoing. She walked to the piano at the center of the room. A song by Frédéric Chopin. Her fingers danced on the keyboards. Her heart spoke softly and silently through the melody as if she saw the Polish musician standing in the room. There were many words told by the silence of the glass windows. They found their voices at this moment. The voice of the sorrow and the moonlight.

A woman with golden hair, who was standing like a shadow during the whole song, approached the girl, rubbing her shoulders in a comforting way.

"I..." - The girl spoke, glancing at the room opposite, outside the window, where the light and the laughter came from. - "I am always lonely, aren't I?"

The woman frowned. Then, as some seconds passed, she smiled.

"Now, does it matter to you, dear?"

The girl hesitated to answer.

"I guess that's a no". - The woman said. - "You're a special child darling, a wise one I dare say. You're so brave and calm. And you know what it means to you?"

"I'd like to".

"You make people come for you like a magnet, but absolutely, the wise ones as you".

The wind came and knocked on the windows.

"...Isolation is a gift.

All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it.

And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds.

And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.

If you're going to try, go all the way.

There is no other feeling like that.

You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.

You will ride life straight to perfect laughter.

It's the only good fight there is."

(The mind, go all the way by Charles Bukowski)

"Always speak your truth clearly and quietly. Someone outside is giving their life seeking your words and your existence, my dear, I can assure you that".

.

.

It's been a while. Jocasta Madison sometimes remembered that night before she performed a song in a theater in order to wash away what she called "life's dust". She flew to Peking, China for a huge performance tonight.

"Perfect, Jocasta!"

Her childhood friend, Asher Williams clapped his hands when he met her in the dressing room.

"Oh my god!"

Jocasta nearly jumped as she saw him.

"Don't want a hug from me?"

Asher smiled, opened his arms for her. She immediately hugged him.

"My god. When did you get here?"

"Just an hour ago. Soon enough not to miss your performance".

"How was your work in Egypt?"

Asher was a businessman who was interested in archeology. He returned from Egypt, after doing some research on an ancient tomb that had just been found.

"Wonderful! You must be there to see. The artifacts are almost intact. It is crystal clear that the tomb belongs to a grandee". - Asher sounded excited, but then, his smile turned into a quiet sign. - "However, it will take a while until we can reach the room where the coffin is placed. That room and many other rooms are deep inside the tumb...Me and Professor Mike both agreed that we would have to raise funds for that".

Jocasta grabbed a bottle of wine on the table, poured wine into two glasses. She gave Asher one of them.

"Can a pianist be considered wealthy to you, Mr. Bourgeois?"

Asher choked as he heard what she said.

"Well...I appreciate every contribution".

Jocasta laughed. Oh, it was always breathtaking how her birdy laughter came out of her little mouth.

"Deal. I'm one of your shareholders now. And actually, you will see how useful I am". - She had a smug smirk on her lips. - "Only if you're free on Friday night, this week".

Asher had no objection to her plan. That Friday night, he was her dance partner at the ball thrown at one Chinese tycoon's hotel. There were many Asian tycoons there. Most of them were young and fresh, needy to spend their fortune on something to polish their names, before entering the European and American markets. It was the best chance for Asher since Jocasta, the young beautiful, and talented pianist introduced herself as one of his first shareholders.

While Asher was busy dealing with his business, Jocasta escaped the crowd. She found herself standing alone in a room with a piano. The instrument seemed to be an old pattern. She was slightly drunk. Next thing she knew that her fingers were moving on the keyboard. Moonlight Sonata - Mv1. She did not know why she played that song. She was supposed to light up the night, not diving deep into it.

She could sense an invisible presence in the room. Not in a scary or threatening way. Seemed like the invisible guest was admiring the melody.

The following day, Asher and Jocasta packed their belongings, drove alongside the Haihe river, admiring the beauty of Peking before going to the airport. Since it was summer, they both wore their most simple clothes. You could say summer fitted Jocasta as well as piano. She loved being in her white blouse, her linen short high waisted, her oxford shoes, and of course, her iconic Breton hat.

Asher parked his car and took Jocasta out for a walk. They had breakfast at a famous restaurant in Peking. They chatted a lot about the ancient tomb. Jocasta teased Asher as she daubed her ice cream on his face. She ran when he started chasing her. That brought back Asher a lot of memories when they had been children, playing in Flora's orphanage yard.

"Here".

Jocasta offered Asher a tissue in her cartable when they were both sitting in the car.

"Thanks".

He said and began to sweep away his sweats. Jocasta looked at him and noticed something.

"Hey, where's your jacket, dude?"

Asher was annoyed when he found out that he left his jacket at the restaurant that they had had breakfast.

"Shit. I will be right back".

He got out of the car, in a hurry. Jocasta laughed as he crossed the road in front of her. Only she knew about his careless side.

Jocasta decided to start the car due to the heat of the sun outside. She desperately wanted some cool air. That was when a catastrophic disaster happened. It happened too fast for the victim to even notice anything. A loud explosion rang out. The car was engulfed in flames. Shards of broken glass lay on the road, glittering reflecting the harsh sunlight overhead.

The dark waltz continued playing in the restaurant nearby, echoing through every street in Peking.